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Hulu Jumps Into Original Programming

Morgan Spurlock heads new docu series

Hulu announced yesterday that it's developing its first long-form original programming. On Aug. 17, the video streaming site will debut A Day in the Life, a six-episode documentary series helmed by Morgan Spurlock, the filmmaker behind The Greatest Movie Ever Sold and Super Size Me.

Each 30-minute episode will follow a day in the life of a famous individual, beginning with Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson. Other shows, premiering on the site every Wednesday, will feature subjects like rapper will.i.am, comedian Russell Peters, and musician Gregg Gillis of Girl Talk. The series will be available for free.

Hulu’s network and studio partners have been scaling back on the availability of their shows on the site. Perhaps worried that it could be affecting ratings, it would seem like a good time for Hulu to fill that gap with its own programming. But Andy Forssell, the company’s senior vice president of content acquisition and distribution, told The New York Times that the decision to launch more original content had nothing to do with networks’ restrictions. Instead, he said, “As we formed more relationships with more studios and more creators, we started seeing more things that weren’t getting made that we thought were really interesting.”